IK Multimedia's Stealth Plug and SoundTech's LightSnake square off in a Sound Card In A Cable battle royale. But are either of these products real contenders?
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A wave of fearless piano manufacturers are defying tradition with new designs that tear down past convictions and point the industry decisively into the future...
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CD Spotlight
Mocean Worker's fifth album Cinco De Mowo!, the follow up to 2005's Enter The Mowo!, his best selling to date, showcase's his
ability to bridge the old and the new to create the perfect soundtrack to your pool party. Embracing his jazz and funk influences, Mocean Worker has composed
a complete album with undeniable hooks. Although, this effort will invoke comparisons to Moby, there is a depth to the work that is both refreshing and provocative.
Buy it now!
LISTEN!
CD Spotlight
When Tribalism 2.0 from the Made Records imprint hit our stereo system we were excited to see how Marcelo Castelli's disc one would flow. However,
we underestimated DJ Hardware who delivered a stellar mix on disc two that took the vibe to the top story and didn't let up. Both DJs provide provocative tribal beats
with enough cerebral production to keep your head in the game while your body does anything but sit on the bench. Kudos to Made who finally deliver a worthwhile release for
the drum-deprived tribe. Buy It Now!
Bonus: Here's a full track preview of Danny Woo's Remix of Ralph Rosario's Brinca 2007.
Off The Record: So what should a cable consumer do?
Don't believe the hype and succumb to the paranoia. Which means, don't buy the exorbitant Monster cable products unless you want to impress your
unknowledgeable friends when you show off the innards of your media room.
August 7, 2007
../ Are High Priced Cables Worth The Money?
The Jig Is Up!
The Internet has been a disruptive force to many entrenched industries and market
segments in its brief history. So, it was only a matter of time before it focused its eye on the audio and video cable industry. Ever wonder why
salespersons push cables so ardently at music and electronic stores? Unknown to many, audio or video cables have the largest profit margins. Using
the "don't you want the best quality" pitch, a savvy salesperson can rack up hundreds of dollars of pure profit on cables alone when a customer buys
a television, stereo, or mixer.
You Just Can't Use The Words "Monster Cable" And "Value" In The Same Sentence
The one company that has capitalized on this phenomenon better than any is Monster Cable.
With their overbuilt, and extremely overpriced cables, they have leveraged the paranoia of poor transmission quality for massive growth. However,
thanks to the Internet and a new breed of manufacturers, the jig is up for Monster and overpriced cables in general.
Two new types of cable companies have emerged that not only significantly undercut Monster's
pricing models, but give the consumer extensive options on cable purchases. According to Sean Lee, owner of the online retailer
Monoprice, "It's about time. For 20 years, we've been paying a big premium on
cables." Lee's company offers quality audio and video cables for about a tenth of what other brands cost by eliminating the middleman. Monoprice, which
has been in business since 2002, deals directly with manufacturers in China and Taiwan to provide "honest pricing to consumers."
MonoPrice's Premium Audio Cable Is Only $3
XtremeMac is another new company that's looking to get into the action by
marrying aesthetic design with quality cables at a reasonable price point. XtremeMac offers a sexy looking cable for about a third of the price of a
compatible Monster model. Their philosophy is "high quality cables without the monster price," according to Steve Kaplan, XtremeMac's Vice President Of HD.
If Any Company Is Well Suited To Take Monster Down, It's XtremeMac
A big part of XtremeMac's appeal is their industrial design that screams sophistication
and substance. From their one-piece molded connectors, to their gold-plated flex couplings, to their terrific packaging, XtremeMac's tactile experience
is first rate. When you can have the fit and finish of a XtremeMac cable, why would you even consider a Monster product with its overblown price and
impossible to open plastic clam-shell case. It is just this consumer interaction that attracted Apple, Inc. to approach them about providing the cables
for their recent AppleTV launch.
Apple offers XtremeMac cables with Apple TV
According to Kaplan, "the XtremeMac line of cables was chosen by Apple due to its quality and design. The overmold, shielding and transmission quality greatly
impressed Apple who was looking for a cable to package with the unit." While this is a major coup for XtremeMac, it doesn't make sense to Monoprice.
"Industrial design adds a lot more money to the price of a cable," state's Monoprice's Lee.
"We believe that the customer would rather have a lower price, than a prettier cable." Lee goes on to make an obvious, yet significant observation. "Once a
cable is installed, it rarely gets disconnected, and it's usually on the back of a device, so does it really matter what it looks like as long as it works
well?"
Good question. So, instead of spending money on flashy packaging, Monoprice, who doesn't advertise,
invests in customer service. Something of a lost art these days. Sean Lee emphasizes customer service with his representatives, and "treats the customer as
a friend" instead of a number. The investment in customer service and automated order processing has paid off for the concern who is having their best year to date.
We contacted Mark Posgay, Market Manager at Monster to get his input on what's happening in the
cable industry, but he didn't respond to our repeated requests for an interview.
So is there a difference in quality between the Monster, XtremeMac and Monoprice cables? We
performed several preliminary tests using 6 foot RCA cables from each manufacturer and found no significant differences in audio quality between the three. We
then tested the manufacturer's HDMI cables, another huge margin item, at 6 foot lengths by sending a signal from a Pulse Pattern Generator into a Digital Serial
Analyzer and didn't discover a significant difference in transmission quality to warrant Monster's extreme price. After dissecting the cables, we do agree that
the build quality of the Monster product is superior, but with no discernible quality difference, is it necessary for the consumer? No.
The Future: What's the future for Monster, XtremeMac and Monoprice? It's obvious that
Monster will have to develop a new line or brand to compete with upstarts like Monoprice and XtremeMac. Their overbuilt and overpriced cables will not be able
to sustain their dominance and market share over time. XtremeMac, according to Steve Kaplan, "will continue to follow their roadmap of bringing quality items to
the entertainment field." Monoprice, will do what they do best, "concentrate on customer service and bringing the best values to the audio cable and home theatre
markets."
So what makes the Internet such a disrupter? The Internet is a huge global open market where a small player who offers the right price and quality can mage
tremendous gains in short order. However, it's the ability to search this enormous market that makes it so potent. Go to one of the larger Flea markets,
and you'll find tons of great deals, but unless you scour the entire bazaar, you're liable to miss a possibly better deal. Searching a global market not only
gives you the opportunity to find the best deal, but also in the shortest amount of time.
So what's the next industry ripe for disruption? Steve Kaplan feels that any product line that is lacking in excellent industrial design is susceptible.
He wouldn't go into specifics of what's next up XtremeMac's sleeve, but he did reveal that he thought many stereo receivers could "use some polish." Sean Lee
feels that any industry that can "eliminate the middleman" is a good target.
TestDrive will feature the lab results of our Audio Experiments so that everyone can get in on the action. Take the latest electronic music releases, mix vigorously
with bleeding-edge music production technology in a large beeker, and then cook the hell out of it! Check out our latest review: LennarDigital Sylenth1
